The mineral deposits in the Guanajuato area are classic fissure-hosted low-sulphidation epithermal gold-silver-bearing quartz veins and stockwork. Mineralization of economic importance consists of fine-grained disseminations of acanthite, electrum, aguilarite, and naumannite with accessory pyrite, and relatively minor sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite. Gangue minerals include quartz, calcite, adularia, and sericite. The veins are accompanied by hydrothermal alteration consisting of argillic, phyllic, silicic, and propylitic facies. Mineral textures in this zone are typically fracture-filling, drusy, and coliform masses. At Guanajuato, Cenozoic volcanic and volcanogenic sediments unconformably overlie the Mesozoic basement rocks. In the area, the oldest Cenozoic unit is the Paleocene Comanja granite, (66 Ma – 56 Ma), this was followed by the Eocene extrusion of andesite (56 Ma – 33.9 Ma) which was sporadically deposited and contemporaneous with the deposition of the Guanajuato conglomerate in localized grabens. The Guanajuato conglomerate underlies an unconformity beneath a sequence of felsic to mafic volcanic rocks that consist of Oligocene ignimbrites, lava flows and domes (33.9 Ma – 23 Ma). The best mineralization is often found related to bends in the Veta Madre orientation (Barclay, 2007 and Rhys, 2013) such as at San Vicente in the Rayas area, and at Cata and Santa Margarita. These structural bends may be due to changes in rock type competencies, and varying thickness of the diorite dyke. The potential to find further mineralization both laterally, and in parallel breccia structures to know precious metal mineralization zones is considered excellent. The vertical extent of the deposits at Guanajuato spans over 700m (2,200m to 1,500m elevations and open to depth). Mineralization occurring above 2,100m elevation was termed “upper ore”, between 2,100m and 1,700m “lower ore”, and below the 1,700m elevation “deep ore”. Fluid inclusion microscope work from over 850 samples gather through the mine and in deep drilling from the Santa Margarita area, indicated boiling zones from the 2,100m to 1500m (deepest drilling at the GMC) elevations. Structural observations of up to eight stages of crosscutting brecciation, and the variable range of Ag:Au ratios indicate that the mineralization along the Veta Madre is associated with multi-phase structural activity and fluid flow.

The Guanajuato Mine Compleex (the “GMC”) comprises the Guanajuato and San Ignacio operations. Typically, all zones at the GMC are extracted by the Cut & Fill mining method.

Guanajuato consists of a series of interconnected, previously independent, mines including Promontorio, Santa Margarita, Rayas, Los Pozos, Cata, Valenciana and Guanajuatito.

Mining at Guanajuato predominantly comprises cut and fill stoping, with some pillar recovery in historic workings, and a few zones where mineralized extensions are discovered and mined over a period of a few months. Mining is generally more selective using jacklegs. However, where possible, mechanized cut and fill is utilized.

Two main shafts serve access to the active mine areas, while several other old shafts provide ventilation support. The Rayas shaft is used for transportation of personnel and supplies, while the Cata shaft, located just above the processing plant is used to transport the mineralized material for milling. These are currently de-energized and access of men and materials and egress of ore is via the Rayas ramps, San Vicente and Guanajuatito that provide the access at each end of the mine network, including for mobile equipment.

Mining is conducted by contractors, primarily sourced from nearby communities, utilizing equipment owned by the Company and the contractors. Mine contractors and equipment are alternated between the mines, including San Ignacio, to accommodate the mining sequencing.

Guanajuatito Zone
Guanajuatito has been producing ore since 2006. Production came predominantly from the 1730, 1700, 1605, and 1540masl elevations (430, 400, 305, and 260 levels) with hanging-wall ramp completed to the 1730 masl elevation (430 level). The ore zones of Guanajuatito are exploited by the Cut and Fill mining method with a ramp to the bottom of the vein being extended at depth.

Valenciana Zone
Exploration development has commenced in the Valenciana zones on the 245, 360 and 460 levels; production restarted in the last two months of 2016. Exploitation is within several footwall zones to the Veta Madre.

Cata Zone
The Cata zone is composed of five separate mineral zones that vary in widths from 2 to less than 1 meter. These zones are extracted by the Cut and Fill mining method. Sub-levels off the access ramp are between 20 and 30 meters apart. Mining of the Cata Clavo reached the 550 level where development and stoping was carried out on the Veta Madre vein. Mining at Cata was discontinued in late 2018. Cata Clavo is a relatively steeply dipping structure that has been identified for mining from the 1550masl elevation (550 level) to the 1665 masl elevation (435 level). The mining area was up to 100 meters long and up to 10 meters wide. The Veta Madre FW, Contact, Veta Madre HW, Alto 1 to Alto 4 zones are located on the hanging wall side of the Veta Madre and the multiple zones are close to each another. In some areas, the combined Veta Madre to Alto 4 generates an overall width exceeding 30 metres.

Los Pozos Zone
At the Los Pozos SE zone mining is underway above the 310 level, both on remnant mineralization as well as recovery of old pillars. Mineralization is related to both the Veta Madre and Santa Margarita (hanging wall) structures as well as transverse structures.The Los Pozos deposits are relatively steeply dipping structures that have been identified for mining from the 2025 masl elevation (75 / 83 levels), 1980 masl (120 level), 1940 masl (160 level), to the 1790 masl elevation (310 level).

Santa Margarita Zone
The Santa Margarita gold rich vein has been explored by ramp development from the 390 level to the 500 level. The ramp has been driven from the 1710 masl elevation (390 level) and extended down to the 1560 masl elevation (540 level). Extractions are by cut and fill mining methods. Santa Margarita was in production from March 2009 to late 2018.

Promontorio Zone
Production restarted from Promontorio in March of 2017 and exploration development continues to define this zone. It is a quartz stockwork system within the hanging-wall conglomerates, immediately above the Veta Madre. Minor production came from the 110 level before C&M commenced at the end of 2018. Presently there is production from the 160 and 275 levels.

Crushing & Grinding Circuits
The ore from the 1,000-tonne capacity hopper is transferred along a 48-inch-wide belt to a 24 inch by 36-inch PettiBone jaw crusher where the 12-inch feed is reduced to less than 3-inch diameter. The feed from the jaw crusher exits along a 36-inchwide belt and feeds a 6 ft wide by 20 ft long double bed vibrating Ludowici screen. The Ludowici screen separates the feed by size with the upper bed separating material greater than 1 inch and the lower bed separating material less than ¼ inch. This ¼ inch “fine” material is then fed along a 24-inch belt to a hopper prior to grinding (currently feed on average of 88% less than ¼ to the mill). The over size from the Ludowici screen is fed to a Metso (300HP) secondary cone crusher for further size reduction which is then fed back to the Ludowici screen along a 24-inch belt to ensure the material is the appropriate size for the mill. The crushing circuit has a backup Simmons 5½ short head cone crusher that is utilized as needed.

Milling
Immediately after the crushing, the ore is stored in a series of "fines hoppers" which has a capacity of 1,800 tonnes. This material passes through chutes at the bottom of the hopper to feed three 24-inch-wide belts where the material is weighed (continuous weighing scale) and fed into three twin Denver of 7 ft by 14 ft ball-mills which are coated inside by a chromiummolybdenum alloy shield on the surface of the cylinder and natural rubber on the "heads". The grinding material used in these mills are 2.5-inch diameter high chrome alloy cast balls. The ¼ inch crushed material enters the ball mill where the movement, impacts and attrition from the balls promotes the wet pulverization of the mineral which is discharged by the mill as a "thick mineral pulp" where approximately 70% of the material by weight is solid and the remaining 30% is water. This thick mineral pulp is then diluted by adding water and feeds into 4 by 3-inch Krebs pumps where the material then feeds a series of Gmax G10 hydro-cyclone classifiers (two cyclones per mill) which carry out the classification of fines before entering the flotation circuit (75% of the material passing minus 200 meshes with automatic sampling). The average content of this material is 28% solid by weight and 72% water. The oversize material is returned to the mill for re-grinded in the closed circuit which has a "circulating load" of 350% thus ensuring the best release of the particles of interest. At this stage of grinding, reagents are added as the ore entersthe mills. This includes the addition of two specific reagents which promote the recovery of gold and silver (promoter MaxGold 900 and promoter 7310, both Cyteg brand products).

Mineral feed from both the Guanajuato Mine and San Ignacio Mine are processed at the GMC metallurgical plant at the Guanajuato Mine.

The processing plant utilized five stages as follows: crushing, milling, flotation, thickening and filtering and produces a concentrate of iron sulphide (pyrite) with high values of gold and silver which are marketed and sold as the final product.

The ore is delivered by truck from GMC’s mines to the ore processing yard at Cata which has a storage capacity of 1,500 tonnes. The material is fed onto a gravity fed grizzly with 12-inch steel grid openings where it falls into a hopper with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes where ore processing begins.

Flotation Circuits
After grinding and conditioning by the initial reagents the material enters a 20 cubic meter capacity tank where additional reagents are added (promoter, collector and surfactant, Promoter 7310, Aerophine 3416 both Cyteg and cc-1065 SF surfactant brand PQM) and a ........